The Earth Gives Back
by Kimimakku
Summary: They say that when your body is left hollow without a soul, it goes back into the earth. Withering away into nothing isn't particularly true, as your body feeds the soil, the plants, the earth itself. But somehow, the earth did not stop there for her. As she gave to the earth, the earth gave back to her.
1. Discovery

It was peaceful.

That was the first thought she remembered having. She was peaceful, whole, and warm. Wherever she was, whoever she was, it wasn't bad.

They say that when your body is left hollow without a soul, it goes back into the earth and _becomes_ the earth. Withering away into nothing isn't particularly true, as your body feeds the soil, the plants, the earth itself.

But somehow, the earth did not stop there for her. As she gave to the earth, the earth gave back to her.

* * *

"I felt it out there," Kuwabara explained, confidently leading the way through shrubs and overgrown weeds.

"There are many demons that reside in this forest." Kurama spoke calmly, unsure as to why his teammate was so persistent in this matter of feeling a strange energy signature. Genkai's forest was full of a plethora of creatures, from simple insects to low class demons. However, being the most sensitive of all of them when it came to feeling and even understanding energy signatures, Kurama had followed Kuwabara without too many questions.

"Yeah, Kurama, but this one felt _different_ ," Kuwabara emphasized, turning around to give the fox a desperate look. "Just trust me, okay? It feels dormant but it's making me antsy."

He nodded, emerald eyes trained on the back of the other's back as they moved as quickly the brush allowed.

As they drew closer to whatever it was that Kuwabara had been feeling, Kurama noticed that the greenery around them had somehow grown even more dense. Kuwabara had slowed down, having to wade through waist deep grass that only seemed to be getting thicker the more they travelled. Kurama's eyes roamed over their surroundings, feeling a thrum of energy from the plants that he hadn't noticed before. It was as if everything felt a little more alive.

And that's when he felt it. The odd signature Kuwabara had mentioned, earthy and unlike any signature he had felt. Somehow it resembled Yusuke's, a mix of demon and human elements, but this signature didn't mesh like Yusuke's. It felt as though two completely different signatures were forced together and could not harmonize.

"What… the fuck?" Kuwabara's soft inquiry brought Kurama back to the forest, and when the fox looked over, he saw Kuwabara, foot midair as though to take another step, but below his sole was a face surrounded by plants overgrown.

Before Kurama could open his mouth, Kuwabara let out a cry of surprise and immediately fell down to his knees, ripping at the plants covering the lump of a body. "They're eating her!" He cried, and pulled back harder at the roots in his hands, grunting as they challenged his strength.

The peaceful face of the girl contorted as if in pain, and Kuwabara pulled his hands away from the plant as if they had burned him. It nestled back against the lump, and the tense air that had presented itself seemed to fade.

Kurama analyzed the lump, his eyes sliding back to the face that emerged from the ground, noticing that it seemed somewhat unhuman, ethereal. However, the fox knew a way to see exactly what this being was.

"Kuwabara, allow me." Kurama bent down beside Kuwabara, flashing him a reassuring smile before placing his hands atop the roots. He could feel their intentions, their protective nature for the being that lay beneath. Something struck Kurama in that moment, and he realized this intention to be almost like a mother protecting her child. These roots covered this girl, thrumming with energy that pulsed along with her's. It was distinct, the signature was of the earth, and this girl's energy was torn between the earth and her own body. This was the problem that lie within her signature, as if she were two different beings at once, the earth and herself.

"We'll have to cut her out."

"W-what?!"

Kuwabara looked at Kurama with wide eyes before snapping them in the direction of the feminine face. "C-cut her out? But she looked like she was hurt and her energy spiked before!"

Narrowing his eyes slightly, a breath escape Kurama's lips as he thought of a concrete explanation. However, he decided to see if Kuwabara knew what he himself was feeling.

"The energy you feel, can you tell me more about it?"

Pursing his lips, Kuwabara glanced up slightly as he thought and felt the air around him pulse with the energy. It took him a minute before his eyes widened with realization. "Her energy is… with the earth? But… it's not like it _is_ the earth." He paused, glancing over at the face and the body that lay beneath the mounds of root. "It's like… I don't know, it kind of reminds me of those grass things we fought at Suzaku's place. Except those weren't really humans. This feels… like it isn't mixing right."

"Correct."

"So we have to… cut her out? I didn't even notice the earth's energy was on her like that, you know, like _that_ strong. It hurt her before, will this kill her or something? I don't even want to _hurt_ a girl, let alone accidentally kill one," Kuwabara grimaced at the thought, his eyes meeting Kurama's with uncertainty.

"This is certainly unusual, but if she is human, being confined to this earth as it is with energy smothering her, it could likely result in death."

* * *

The peace was interrupted, pain surged down her legs and pierced the bones with such intensity she thought they had shattered.

After a moment it dissipated, leaving her peaceful once more. The warmth that surrounded her grew unsettled, and slight discomfort caught her as the world tightened, a breath escaped her that she did not know she had.

That which encircled her tightened beyond her limit, and it was then that she felt as though she were truly alive, because something surged in her that was not present before: fear. Something was pounding around her, or was it inside her? There was no distinction between herself and what lied around her. The desperation that laced her instincts was smothering her, even more so than the sudden material forcing itself over her exposed portion, stopping her breath before it had a chance to escape.

But as soon as she was ripped from her place, she realized it was not _her's._

* * *

NOTES:

Alright! I haven't written a fanfiction in I don't even know how long, since I was? 16 maybe (im 21 now omg im old af). I've been throwing this idea around in my head before bed every night and it seems like a neat concept, but there are some things that will need work for sure! (also i have no beta so there might be mistakes if u see them, please let me know! )

I'm not a writer by nature, I'm actually a Japanese Education major, but I like trying to get my ideas down on paper (or on word docs I guess)! I'm not here to get anything from anyone, I just wanna share and see where this goes!

For now it's definitely not a pairing type fanfic, I don't even have the plot fleshed out let alone if this girl is gonna have romantic feelings for anyone ;p

Also! I'm not sure when I'll update tbh, I usually don't write but I was at work today (I work in an office on my campus, and during the summer it's so BORING especially when summer classes end no one is on campus except for us measly student workers) and I decided hey! why not do something slightly productive!

so here we are, a yyh fanfic! thanks for reading!


	2. Uprooted

Kuwabara gasped, his hold on the body faltering as he realized that it was resisting, not because the roots were giving more fight, but because _her hair_ was woven into the earth itself.

It had not taken too much effort to remove the roots, despite Kurama's initial thinking of cutting them, they bent beneath his will, although there was a resistance that the fox had yet to encounter in common plants such as this. As the roots receded they caught glimpse the girl's frail body, rips protruding, and even though the earth seemed to be giving this girl it's energy, it also seemed to be taking energy _away_ from her. With already split energy, between herself and the earth, this discovery left an unsettling feeling within Kurama. _Why_ had the earth been feeding this girl?

"Her hair is stuck!" Kuwabara's cry brought Kurama back, his eyes flashing over to his tall friend and then back to the weaving hair that slipped into the soil as if it itself were roots of binding. Clicking his tongue in displeasure, he brought his hand to his chin in thought.

"I don't have a knife or any kind of cutting instrument, you'll have to use your sword to cut her hair."

Sputtering a response, Kuwabara knelt as to not bring more pain to the girl who was already trembling from the loss of the forceful energy, "B-but she's a _girl_ , Kurama, what if I cut _your_ hair with my sword?!"

There was a thick moment of silence, and Kuwabara realized his answer hadn't been what he meant, but before he could sputter out any more nonsense, Kurama knelt and swiftly took the body into his own arms, lips tightening as he felt the energy fluctuate unevenly.

"Her energy is connected to the earth, but removing her has seemed to give her back at least some of what she has lost," he muttered to himself, acknowledging the way the green growth around them seemed to lean towards them, as if to tug the girl back into her prison of roots.

* * *

The pain she felt was overpowered by the sense of heat that flooded through her, and the peacefulness she had been content with before seemed false compared to this new sense of comfort. The flow of herself combined with the earth was paused, and even though there was a terrible yearning, a desperate need to return that curled within her body, she was almost thankful to be away. The breathing that had before been so light, so distant, was racking her lungs and filling them whole. She was taking and nothing was _taken_.

As something surged around her, a pounding filled her body once more. Tendrils of white wound around her head, and it was then that she realized she was completely cut off from the source of life she had been living for what she thought to be eternity.

A screech that seemed unhuman lit her head ablaze once more, and the energy that had been caressing her ever so sweetly before recoiled and hid at the sound.

* * *

" _Fuck,_ Kurama," Kuwabara stumbled away as the girl's mouth snapped open, stretching unnaturally as a piecing scream followed. Kurama almost dropped her, eyes wide and mouth agape as he wracked his brain for a solution this terrible noise. As soon as it had started, the shriek cut short and the boys finally had a moment of peace.

Blinking hard and making sure his ear was still intact, Kuwabara inhaled sharply to make up for the air that had escaped him. He glanced at the chopped hair that was still embedded within the soil, then back to the body that Kurama held. After a few moments of only breathing, he said, "I wonder how long she's been out here like that."

Kurama did not answer, thinking that if this body had been held much longer in the grasp of the earth, it likely would have been sucked dry of any life energy it had left.

Rising from his crouched position, Kurama turned a bit, speaking to Kuwabara in a calculated, cold voice, "We cannot be so sure that she is the victim. The plants were keeping her there, feeding her energy as well. This is unfortunate, but we cannot give this girl help without first verifying that she is not an enemy."

Kuwabara huffed, patting the dirt from his jeans. He seemed almost offended at first at the fox's words, glancing at the body with concerned eyes. "Yeah, well, the plants weren't exactly just giving her energy," he mumbled, "they were taking from her too. I know you're right but…" running his hand through his hair, he let out a long, tired sigh. "I know you're right, but I don't think she's an enemy."

"We'll find out soon enough when she wakes up," Kurama replied, scouting the area around them for the best method of exit. "First, we have to get back to Genkai's and through all of this growth."

* * *

Upon reaching the temple, Kuwabara and Kurama were met with a confused and concerned looking Yukina, who had padded her way out onto the porch upon feeling their returning energies. Kuwabara looked sheepishly at the ice maiden, raising his hand slightly in greeting.

"This was what you felt, Kazuma-san?" She took a few steps back as Kurama ascended the stairs. "How could a human make it within Genkai's forest? She seems too feeble."

No one had yet to acknowledge that the thin body was bare. It would almost have been insulting to mention it, as the features brought on by malnourishment and weakness were overwhelming. This girl's body was more concerning to see than embarrassing.

"I mean, we had to pull her out of the _ground_ , Yukina!" Kuwabara explained, following Kurama as he walked inside to find a suitable place to lay the body. "It was like she was a carcass or something, the ground was eating her."

"Not… quite." Kurama spoke up, laying the body on the low couch in the living room. He stepped away, giving her a once over before he turned towards the other two. "The plants around her reacted to her life energy, taking it for their own. However, the earth was also feeding her body energy. The reason, to me, is unknown right now."

Listening to his explanation, Yukina stepped towards the girl, kneeling and analyzing her body, searching for wounds.

"We had to cut her hair, too, it was growing into the ground!"

At Kuwabara's words, Yukina glanced up at the girl's face, noticing the hair around her head was unmistakably uneven and frayed at the ends as if they had been cut with dull scissor. However, that was not the only thing she noticed. At closer glance, she saw that around the girl's left eye, the skin was darker and seemed thinner. Glancing downward, she noticed that the girl's left shoulder was also discolored. Reaching her hand up slowly, she pressed it to the shoulder, blue energy blossoming around the area.

"Are you healing her?" Kurama stood at a slight distance, eyebrows furrowed as he watched Yukina place her hand over the other's shoulder. "I don't remember her having wounds."

"We didn't get to look at her enough to see wounds, though," Kuwbara commented, "we had to get her out of the ground and cut her hair, and after that we came back here without checking. I mean, there wasn't blood, so…"

"This… is not a wound." Yukina pulled her hand back, looking a little confused and slightly concerned. "It could be… a burn scar?" She sounded unsure as she stood slowly, eyes locking with Kurama's.

"I guess we'll find out when she wakes up."

* * *

OK whew buddy, I've been having trouble writing this because like I mentioned before, I'm definitely not a writer! but I really wanted to keep this going, I have so many ideas swirling around in my head that focus on this story and this oc and hopefully I can get my ideas across in writing in a decent manner!

I'm attending a con this weekend, and then going to the lakes with my friend, so I won't be able to update for another week or so! if that!

I'm very shy about sharing this now that a few people have followed it (thank you for that so much!) but I'll do my best! sorry for any mistakes, as u know i have no beta reader!

xenocanaan: thank you so much for the review! I'm curious as to where im taking this too (lol) I'm trying my best to make plans for it more concrete on paper, though! c: also is your username canaan from xenosaga because the xenosaga trilogy are absolutely my favorite ps2 games!


	3. Name, What is?

The mysterious girl did not wake for a few days, giving the group some time to analyze her without restraint. Kurama explained the situation, citing again the feeling Kuwabara had the day they found her body.

"Her energy felt like your's, Yusuke, but only because there were both demon and human elements. Upon heaving her-"

"We had to cut her hair from the _ground_!" Kuwabara interrupted, making a sword slashing motion with his hands, "With _my_ sword!"

Kurama raised his hand to his mouth, coughing slightly to gather the attention that had been ripped away from him, "Heaving her out of the ground, yes. After that, I felt the demonic energy withdrawal, and my conclusion is that a demon from the forest was feeding off of this girl. However," His eyes narrowed a bit, and he let out a sigh, "there is little explanation for why the energy was _feeding_ her. Without proper knowledge of the demon, we'll assume one in Genkai's forest, we cannot be sure why there was a give and take."

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Yusuke spoke up, "So, you're saying that this plant chick is a half demon? Or…?"

"Not quite. The demonic energy, in my theory, is from the demon who was using the plants to feed off her life energy," replied the fox, standing from his place at the long table. "As the demon was also giving her energy."

"Her energy has been weakening these past few days," Yukina spoke up softly, her lips tighter than normal. "Her hair was vibrant when she was brought here, now it seems to be…. wilting, if that is appropriate."

The girl's hair, which had resembled tree bark brown, was now shriveled and brittle, lightening to become an off cream. Her body was not dying as it had been in the hold of the roots, but there was a noticeable weakening of her energy. As the girl had yet to eat, her frail body was beginning to become a concern as well.

At this point, the team deemed that she was not a threat.

With the discussion seeming to go nowhere, as no one had answers for the questions lingering, the group decided disperse and go about their individual activities.

* * *

Everything felt slow. As clouded eyes opened, the world seemed to sway and pain prodded at her skull. She felt disconnected above all, despite an insistent pain gnawing at her.

She wasn't alone for long, as she heard shuffling followed but hands touching her. For the first time, she _felt_. And for the first time, she jerked away and sat up quickly, her head spinning and her instincts crying to _get away_. Her eyes met with a blurred figure, and it was then that she realized she couldn't see. Not properly.

"Oh my god, look at her _eyes_ …" a soft voice fluttered to her ears, and she brought her hands up slowly to her face, noticing that they, too, were blurry.

"Give her space, Yukina." A stern, rough voice caused her to jump, and one of the figures seemed to move, although to where, she couldn't tell. The distance between herself and the blurs was hard to calculate.

She listened to the hushed voices, wondering what was happening, where she was, and finally a thought sprang to her.

"Sorry," her voice sounded cracked and small, not to mention foreign, "do know me?"

Kurama looked up from his hushed concerns back and forth with Genkai about the girl's very clearly _dead_ (or so it looked) eyes. The girl, who was sitting up, one leg beneath her and one propped up as if ready to spring back, squinted her eyes at them. He figured she wasn't able to see well, as no one would be able to with cataracts at that stage. Her hair was as Yukina had voiced, dull and wilting. Everything about her screamed weak, but her body movements and language showed instinct that went beyond that of a simple human.

Yusuke was unusually quiet, and Kuwabara's eyes held sympathy and concern, much did Yukina's, but Genkai was the one to step forward.

"Know you?" She replied, taking another cautious step forward, knowing not what this girl was capable of. "We found you on my property, girl."

This was not unlike Genkai, who was giving a rough exterior and was careful not to get too close or too friendly with the unknown. However, the words that she said only seemed to confuse and alarm the girl even more, and in a slur of broken language she sputtered,

"I know not, property is your belong, sorry."

It was a silent moment before Yusuke spoke up, and he pointed a finger to his temple and whispered to the others, "Does she have, like, an issue?"

"Yusuke!" Kuwabara exclaimed, slapping the other's hand down heatedly. "Don't say mean things like that, we don't even know her!"

At the sound of new voices, the girl narrowed her eyes, trying her hardest to see anything other than blurs and blobs. How many people were in the room? Where was this room? She couldn't feel hostility from these people, but she wasn't sure what situation she was in at the moment. She wished she could convey her concerns with words, but when she opened her mouth all that slipped out was, "Who?"

Genkai's eyes watched the reaction coming from the girl, and slowly she turned to the other's behind her. "She seems to understand us, but can't speak well. Before we do anything, we have to get information out of her. I'm not going to take this lightly, especially if this is some ploy by the demon to gain trust."

At Genkai's reasoning, Yukina protested quickly, "But she is weak and needs to eat, please reconsider."

Although Genkai felt a pang of guilt after seeing the koorime's glistening eyes, she held stern. It was decided that there would be thorough questioning before making any kind of moves with this girl.

"Come." Genkai motioned for the girl to stand, and although the girl could not see the motion, she stood slowly, her legs shaking at the sudden movement. However, the girl gritted her teeth and stood even straighter, not allowing herself to falter so easily.

Kurama and Yusuke both watched her movements carefully, but Yusuke was the first to say, "I mean, at least she's got some spunk. Now all she needs is some clothes."

"Yukina, please get this girl some clothes. Also, if you could, help lead her. Her eyes are lame."

"Yes, Genkai." Yukina replied, turning to face the girl, who was still standing very straight and looking into the void.

"Please, let me get you some clothes, um…" At the pause, she expected the girl to give her name, but to Yukina's dismay the social cue was lost. She hurried off.

Kuwabara was intentionally looking away from the girl now that clothes had been mentioned, but he still called out, "So, what is your name?"

"Dimwit, the questioning has yet to begin and you're already opening your mouth," Genkai sighed, but looked over to the girl with expectant eyes.

"Name?" Lips dipped downwards, and the girl's posture loosened a bit. She stood silent for a few moments before announcing, "Name, not know."

It was like that simple phrase has broken a dam, and suddenly the girl's eyes widened and she whispered to herself, "name…. not know…?"

"Name, what is?"

Yukina returned to find the girl on the floor once again, Genkai at her side as she pried at the hands that scratched at their owner's face. It took mere seconds before the girl had over exerted herself and she fell limp against the floor, blood dripping from her open wounds inflicted by her own hands.

As Yukina rushed over to help heal the wounds, Kurama stood at the back with Yusuke and Kuwabara, both looking more surprised than he as he muttered, "That could have went better."

* * *

(me, the author)

OK wow it's been a while since I've updated, but here we are! I noticed myself giving too much of a shit about how I wrote this and decided that hey, it's my story and I'm 21 and can do what I WANT! So here it is, chapter three!

This mysterious girl was even sort of mysterious to me before I had a breakthrough about this plot, and I'm seeing a lot into the future of this story. Hopefully I can continue, but I'm having trouble filling in mundane parts where you get to know her and learn what happened and stuff, I only have a few concrete ideas so far about those parts. Hopefully I can continue easily! I've been working a lot and school starts next week, and I think I'm going to be teaching Japanese to elementary students again! if it fits into my schedule, hopefully!

thanks for reading! you are all the best and I love you!

if you see any mistakes please let me know! (or even shit that doesn't fit with what I said before, I reread all the chapters before I write another one as to not have many plot holes or things that contradict, but im only human and I have a very forgetful brain!)


	4. Name is Important

OK back at it again, I think I know where I messed up while writing this (other than not writing for myself and feeling the constraint of that)! I deleted chapter 4 & 5 and am now reworking all of this. I think it's better to take it slow, both in the sense of writing this (since I have to get it into my head im not writing for anyone else so I don't mull over trivial things AND it's midterms, god help me) and the actual plot itself. You don't need to forget any information from the former chapters, as it will come back in time! for now, I'm going to change a few things but the crucial information such as the oc's name (courtesy of the lovely Yukina, who is so sweet but so unoriginal) will not change, other than presenting itself in a different way! other than that I don't think I gave anything away about oc's past!

onto the story!

* * *

"So, keeping her in that room will be the best option," Kurama stated, pushing some of his hair from his face. "We cannot all be in there at once, but I think going in teams will be beneficial. She's prone to outbursts at certain information, possibly _all_ information about herself. We'll have to tread carefully when interacting with her."

"It seems cruel to keep her in a single room," The koorime protested weakly, earning a disapproving look from Genkai who was seated at the head of the low table. Although she knew the reasoning behind Yukina's words, she could not allow a stranger, one who had come from the forest surrounding her home no less, to roam her temple freely. Not that the girl could, with her eyes in the state they were in, if her eyes were the only sense she relied on to get around.

"For our safety and for her's, it is necessary," Genkai replied firmly.

Kurama nodded following those words, bringing up another point, "If she proves to be completely separated from any sort of suspicious ploy, we can consider allowing her to be accompanied by one of us around the temple. But before any of the what ifs come into play, we must investigate her and prove that her presence is no threat. We've had too many close run ins to be any less cautious in this situation."

Kuwabara had chimed in that he would go with Yukina to prepare and deliver the meals to the girl, while Yusuke tried to separate himself from such responsibilities. However, Kurama noted that, since Hiei was away in Demon World doing work with Mukuro and her army, he was without another person to make a team. Yusuke had to give in when the fox shot him a look that forced him to internalize any complaints he wanted to vocalize.

Kurama had scribbled down a tentative schedule:

Meals 7:00am, 12:00pm, 5:00pm (5 hour intervals for routine)

Yukina and Kuwabara

Interrogation/Investigation 10:00am, 8:00pm

Kurama and Yusuke

Genkai can come and go as she pleases.

"With this schedule, which hopefully will last less than two weeks if things go smoothly, should be a routine that will allow her to drop her guard. After seeing all of us a few times, perhaps she will be able to relax and replenish her strength. With time she might even remember information that could be crucial." Kurama slid the paper around the table, allowing everyone to look and confirm their duties.

"If she is to bathe, I could be with her as well. A relaxing soak could also help her health," Yukina volunteered.

Kurama realized he had forgotten such a thing in favor of his other calculations and hopes for cooperation from the girl. Nodding, he wrote onto the schedule that a nightly bath would take place after dinner but before the intended questioning. Having the girl relax before being questioned could be beneficial as well, he had thought.

As the meeting came to an end, Yukina volunteered to go check in on the girl once more to examine the remainder of her self inflicted wounds, and Kuwabara was of course hot on her heels as she shuffled out of the room. She gave him a grateful smile, and as ever was counting her blessings that he was a gentle and (mostly) quiet man who accompanied her dutiful not only to keep her company, but to protect her. Though, Yukina could not help but feel that even without him, she could protect herself just fine.

Upon entering the room, they both laid eyes on the girl. She was still atop the futon, her body now covered in the ornate silver kimono that Yukina had brought. There were other clothes that could have sufficed, but with this girl being more than a little bit taller than Yukina, any other kimono or available clothing might have been uncomfortably revealing.

"Wait here," Yukina held her hand up to Kuwabara, her voice quiet and movements deliberate as to not wake the other girl up. She padded over to the futon, kneeling beside it gracefully.

As she held her hands over the remainder of the wounds on the girl's face, now all but skin discolorations, she deemed them able to heal fully on their own.

She could not stop the yelp that escaped her lips as two hands shot up, latching around small wrists. Kuwabara's body lurched forward at the sudden movement, but he was froze when Yukina turned and gave him a look colder than one he'd ever received from her.

"I can handle it," She said shortly.

* * *

Beyond her foggy mind, a cool touch blossomed along her face. At first, she was welcoming of the touch, deciding that it was refreshing and helped ease the static that had lingered in her mind after she had been taken from the place that had not been her's to begin with. All she could picture was the trees, looming over her body for eternity. There was little sky to see, but every once in a while the wind would blow the treetops enough for a small escape of blue.

However, she felt a brush of something along her cheek, and her instincts awoke her, ripping her away from the pleasant surroundings. Despite not being able to see anything but blurs as her eyes snapped open, she felt the hands near her, barely touching the skin around her left eye.

Before she could think to react, her hands were already clutching the wrists of whoever was above her, her hold weak but not enough so to lose grip.

"I can handle it."

She heard the voice, and slowly her grasp loosened, recognition filling her senses. Somehow this voice was associated with the color blue, and as it had been a comfort before, she allowed that sense of recognition and comfort to drop her guard ever so slightly.

The wrists still held weakly in her grasp did not pull away, but she felt an anxious energy festering a short distance to her right. The girl sat up slowly, pulling her hands away as she leaned her whole body to the left closer to the wall. It seemed to get the point across, as the blur nearest her leaned away as well.

"Kuwabara, you're making her nervous," a soft voice informed, followed by a motion that she couldn't determine. "Come sit here and let's introduce ourselves, it will make things better if we can all become more like friends."

Another blur came into view and settled before her, and she immediately associated this one with the color orange. Her nose crinkled as she looked between the two colors, realizing that blue and orange were a strange combination. For some reason, the color orange gave her a sense of unease when in the comparison of blue.

"My name is Yukina. This is Kuwabara, and I know this might make you… unhappy," the one called Yukina seemed to be choosing her words carefully, or she was having trouble, "but we'll need to keep you here for a while. But don't worry! We'll be in here, Kuwabara and I, to give you meals. There are two others coming later, too."

"Yeah, I'm Kuwabara!" A new, rough voice startled her and she flinched back slightly, but did not feel threatened before orange was still nervous. "I won't hurt you, I actually helped find you. Since Yukina and I will be giving you meals and everything, let's get along. We're trying to help our friends realize you're no threat, so…"

"Threat?" The girl managed to rasp, her lips curling downward. She felt more like a prisoner than a threat, but was still grateful that clarity was in reach again after being in static for so long.

Blue seemed to shift a bit, but the motions went unrecognized by her. "Anyway, since you don't-" Her voice was cut off, before her inhale was more drawn out.

Orange seemed to whisper something, and even though her hearing was heightened at the loss of her full eyesight, she could not hear the softly spoken words. She opened her mouth to say something, but was left without words when Blue (Yukina was her name, right?) spoke up once more.

"Is there… anything we can call you?"

It took a moment to sink in, but the girl remembered her outburst. She lifted a hand to her face, feeling the lack of lacerations and for a moment believed she had just dreamed it. However, upon trying to recall herself, her name, her _anything_ , she realized that whatever information she was grasping for just wasn't coming.

"I… no name?" She mumbled to herself, confusion building. The tension in the air became apparent as well, and orange (Kuwabara, maybe?) was almost the pure source of it.

"No remember…" she mumbled again, her head tilting down as she struggled to search for information within herself, grabbing at any of the memories she could find. She only remembered static and trees, sometimes a blue sky, a feeling of push and pull. A raspy voice telling her that she was on _her_ property, and that didn't sit well with her. A few more voices she didn't recognize, and-

"If we can, let's call you Chijou."

Her thoughts halted, her head snapping up to stare at the blue and orange blurs. Blue had spoken these startling words.

"It will make it easier for all of us, I think," Blue, no, Yukina spoke again, and somehow the girl felt something stir inside of her.

"Chijou…" she repeated quietly, respect for Yukina swelling inside of her. The notion of giving a name brought another feeling to the surface, and although it confused her, she knew it was very important. A name was important. It almost exhausted her to feel these emotions, and she took a deep breathe to try and clear her mind that was filled with the thought of how important it was to give a name. It had almost consumed her, pushing to the surface in such a flurry that she had to grip the cloth covering her thighs to make sure she was still there.

"Are you okay?" The gruff voice brought her back, although it took her a moment to gather herself.

"A name." She spoke, looking to her right at the blue blur, Yukina. She kept saying the name in her head for a moment, mulling over how important it was that Yukina had given her a name, and Yukina was her name. Names were important.

"Thank you."

It was not only the first grammatically correct thing she had said, but also the most sincere and open. It was the least guarded she had been, and for a moment she forgot that orange was still beside she and Yukina.


	5. Yukina's Men

After the introduction went well with the girl, now called Chijou, Yukina and Kuwabara informed her that if she cooperated well with the others coming to see her (in that room, since she was not allowed to leave) that she would be able to do two things: gain their acceptance (and realization that she was not a threat), and possibly improve her health (of not only her body, but her mind).

Chijou wanted to remember more than just surface emotions and instinct, so she had showed agreement in the form of small nods. Orange kept trying to speak to her as well, but since the information was coming from him, she was slightly weary. When Yukina would repeat the words, assuring Chijou of their truth, she would put her trust into the other girl and nod her head to show that she had taken in the information being given to her.

She knew her body was weak, feeling the lack of strength in her hands and legs told her that if she did not do something to help herself (or rather, accept the meals given to her by Yukina), she would surely wither away. That time in the static had done a number on her, but she was unsure of how she had gotten there and what exactly had happened during. All she remembered were instances of treetops and not being able to properly process anything happening around her before the static took over. It was only when she had felt that searing pain that she had come to her senses.

Chijou sighed, rubbing the fabric of the Kimono, what Yukina had called it, between her fingers. It was soft. Softer than anything she could have ever imagined touching. Yukina had told her that it was something she had given her to wear, as she had been without clothes when she arrived. Apparently orange and another one of Yukina's people had saved her from a forest. Orange had jumped in that he had to cut her hair because it had grown into the roots around her, and although Chijou had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, she felt a sense that perhaps that clarifying sting of pain from before was caused by that event.

She hadn't truly processed the information she had been given, so she mulled over it again and again as she sat in that room, waiting for whatever else was to happen.

* * *

Time was something that Chijou could not calculate well in the room, so when the door opened she was startled from her half-asleep state. She sat up slowly, hoping that Yukina had come back.

"Hello, Chijou. Yukina has informed us of this name you've accepted. She told you we were coming, right?"

Vibrant red entered her view, and Chijou leaned away. Yukina _had_ mentioned two more people coming, but…

"We're a little ahead of schedule, but Yukina said you were doing quite well so we decided just to come and introduce ourselves. My name is Kurama."

Chijou slowly nodded, noting that red had come down to her level, while another (green) figure behind him seemed to be tense and unhappy. Red must have noticed her caution, as he ordered, "Yusuke, introduce yourself."

"I could be doing so many other things than _this_ right now," the other groaned, stomping forward and plopping down onto the floor. Chijou was startled at his sudden movement and brought her legs towards her, shifting to scoot again to her left.

"I'm Yusuke, and I'm gonna be up front with you. I've seen a lot in my day, but your eyes make me _really_ uncomfortable. That, and I really don't want to be responsible for questioning. But, here I am."

Chijou's eyebrows furrowed, and she took a second to comprehend his hurriedly blurted words. He had mentioned her eyes, and it was then that she noticed that there might be something wrong with them past the fact that she could not see well.

"My eyes…" she began, reaching for any word that could help her express her question to them accurately, but found none other than, "…my eyes?"

Red spoke after a moment, "I have a theory as to why your eyes are like this, but we'll save that for another time."

Chijou watched as red grew tall, realizing that he had probably stood. She felt an atmosphere of pride around him, so she decided that it was best that she learned to respect him as well. He seemed to be a leader. Shifting her eyes to green, she noted that he was reluctant in this, and it almost made her feel angry, since she had not asked to be here either. But, she was glad that they were Yukina's men, and not men of some other tribe.

"Well, we just wanted to introduce ourselves for now. We'll come in for questioning, where we will try and help you remember certain things. For now, don't worry too much about it. It will only result in your distress. Someone might be coming to help us, but until we know for sure, it will just be us two doing the questioning."

Nodding slowly at red's words (Kurama, he was a leader), Chijou tried to hold in the anxiety that rippled in the pit of her stomach at the reminder that she had no memory of herself or the events that had taken place at any point before recently. Green abruptly jumping to his feet forced her to forget her sense of dread in favor of flinching back. She was immediately met with a half-assed, "Woops, sorry."

Chijou heard a sigh come from red, Kurama, and felt that perhaps green's personality was always this reluctant and haphazard. It must be hard to deal with this one on a day-to-day basis, and upon realizing that Chijou was going to have to see him more than once, she felt a sigh welling up in her, too.

"Yusuke and I will be back soon, I think Yukina and Kuwabara are going to come again with food before Yukina helps you with a bath," Kurama explained, seeming to get closer to the door before Chijou heard the familiar creak.

They both left without another word, closing the door behind them. Chijou felt her body relax, not realizing she had been so tense. She couldn't shake the thought that she wished Yukina had come along. It wasn't strange to her, since she had more respect for Yukina than any other person she had met, although the one with the raspy voice had seemed to demand respect. She didn't know that one as well, and decided that Yukina ranked above the others.

Kurama, the red one, had seemed to have an aura of leadership and perpetual calm. He had Chijou's respect to an extent, much more than green and orange, but far less than Yukina.

After a few minutes (or was it longer?) of thinking of the people she had encountered and their dialogues, her nose scrunched up as she said aloud, "Bath?"

* * *

I'm gonna try to update on Fridays now! But I'm super inconsistent so we'll see! The next chapter is going to be maybe longer, it's gonna be a time skip, but chopped up into parts to show the slow progression of it (the two week trial period of questioning Chijou), instances that are important to not only Chijou, but her relationship with the team.

I'm thinking of bringing Hiei in for a hot minute to help Kurama and Yusuke question her, but I'm WORRIED about how to write him tbh. If I do bring him in, he'll literally go right back to mukuro's army because I'm soooo unsure of how to have him fit in lol so this obviously will NOT be an oc/hiei fic! I'm doing my best to think ahead of the game with everyone and have them react and interact with Chijou with caution, so I hope they aren't too OOC!

anyway! I hope you liked it! thank u all who have followed and favorited so far! you are all great and I love you!


	6. Picking up Words

Yukina shuffled down the hall, holding a tray weighed down with a simple meal of grilled fish and rice. Kuwabara walked slightly behind to her right, feeling a little better about Chijou after seeing that she was more tame with Yukina than she had been earlier with Genkai (or rather, to herself, after Genkai so generously triggered the realization of memory loss). Seeing the wounds on Chijou's face as only faded traces of what they were prior to the healing gave Kuwabara a sense of relief and gratefulness towards the koorime.

"Kazuma-san, be sure to keep your voice steady when you speak to Chijou. She is skittish still, I think," Yukina told Kuwabara, who nodded in response and made a mental note that he needed to refrain from using his normal tone of speaking.

Yukina stepped back, allowing him to open the door before she padded in, noticing that Chijou had sat up rather quickly upon hearing the door creak.

"We've brought you some food," Yukina said softly, kneeling down to place the tray beside the futon. She picked up the bowl of rice and without hesitation took Chijou's hand, bringing it to the bowl as well. "Here, some rice."

Chijou had flinched at the contact, but when her hand touched the bowl she all but snatched it from Yukina, bringing it to her nose to sniff it cautiously. Kuwabara inhaled sharply but did not say anything at the sudden movement, choosing instead to kneel behind Yukina to her right once more.

"Oh, careful!" Yukina let out a surprised squeak as Chijou started shoveling the rice into her mouth with her bare hand, inhaling the grains without even so much as chewing. Yukina brought her hands up to stop the other girl, but Kuwabara held his own arm out quickly.

"Don't mess with people like that when they eat food, Yukina," he cautioned, his eyes narrowed as if he suddenly knew everything about Chijou, "she's like a cat… she might bite you. I mean, _she already clawed herself_ ," he whispered the last part, glancing at the other girl to make sure she didn't hear. But since almost her entire face was shoved into the diminishing bowl of rice, he assumed she didn't.

* * *

Considering how easy it was to get Chijou to eat (she had even taken the fish from Kuwabara's hands), it was substantially more difficult to get her into a bath. Rather, it was hard to get her to sit on a stool and wash herself before the bath. Yukina had helped her undress, but once on the strange tile floor of the bathroom, Chijou was on high alert. The koorime had guessed that being in a new room was a little iffy for the girl, but she knew that once she had relaxed in the water she would probably be willing to come here more often.

"Let's wash up before we get into the bath, okay?" Yukina said, folding her own clothes and leaving them on the shelf beside the door. She knew that Kurama was outside of the door in case of an emergency, but she (again) felt the slight pang of annoyance at the fact that everyone around her (perhaps minus Genkai) felt the need to treat her with such discretion. If anything, Yukina knew what she was doing when helping this girl more than the boys did.

Holding Chijou's arm gently, she lead her over to one of the stools. "We sit here and wash before we relax in the bath," she explained, patting the girl's shoulder as she tensed considerably. "It's okay, here, I'll help you wash your hair."

When Yukina started the showerhead water, she saw Chijou jump to her feet and back away as if something had burned her. She hadn't touched the water yet, though.

Thinking back to Kazuma's comment earlier, Yukina couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "You are like a cat."

Setting the running showerhead on the ground beside the drain, Yukina walked over once more to Chijou, but this time instead of holding her arm, she reached down and held her hand instead, hoping for a more personal and assuring touch. "This won't hurt at all."

Chijou's expression did not change, and she even tugged her hand back slightly, though not away from Yukina's grip. She seemed more worried about this water than she had about the fact that she was being forced to stay in the temple.

"Here, come feel the water and see if it's too hot.

* * *

Yusuke swore up and down that he hated questioning and being around Chijou (especially looking at her eyes, which he tried to avoid), but by the third day of questioning he had to admit that after she had calmed down, it wasn't as uncomfortable being around her. A few more days of this wouldn't kill him (unless Chijou actually was going to turn on them). Kurama still did most of the talking, though. They hadn't made much progress on the stance of her memories or anything similar, but Kurama noted that sometimes Chijou would say something that perhaps hinted to her background.

"We've already gotten through everything basic I suppose," Kurama said, putting his pad of paper and pen down beside the cushion he was knelt upon. "Since you don't remember anything thus far, do you mind if I maybe try to… relay some of the information you've given that has allowed me to theorize about you, Chijou?"

Chijou's lips tinned, confusion evident on her face, but she still nodded her head slightly. "Theor…ize?"

"Yes, I've come to the conclusion that you are fully human. However, when we speak of Yukina and Kuwabara, you only ever refer to Kuwabara as 'orange,' and even Yusuke as 'green.' That tells me that, obviously, you cannot see well enough to distinguish features, but you can see color. Which is good. You've also referred to Kuwabara as 'Yukina's man,' which could say a lot of things, but I think that wherever you are from had a female in the highest position of power."

Yusuke noted that Kurama had not discerned the difference in their own references on the part of Chijou, how Yukina and Kurama were referred to as their own names. His lip twitched up a bit when he remembered Chijou referring to Kuwabara as 'Yukina's man,' but he realized he had thought nothing of it at the time. Kuwabara was always at Yukina's heels and had obvious feelings for her after all.

Chijou's nose scrunched up a bit as she mumbled, "No remember…" but after a moment she hung her head, letting out a soft sigh, "no remember… clearly. I…" she held her hand out, clenching it into a fist before relaxing it back out so her palm was visible to them, "feel… maybe Kurama and that kind, not so much common?"

Yusuke thought that her speech was getting to be clearer as they spoke more with her, but something about what she had just said put him on edge.

"That kind?" Yusuke repeated, brows furrowing. "What do you mean, 'that kind'?"

"Yusuke, I think she means men. Men were not common where she was."

* * *

Kuwabara was much more relaxed around Chijou after helping Yukina with her meals. It was breakfast, possibly the end of the week, but he wasn't keeping track as much as Kurama seemed to be.

He followed after Yukina, this time holding the tray in his hands with a sense of pride. Chijou had been taking food from him more often these days, and gaining the trust of someone made him feel good about himself. He no longer felt as cautious around her, and things were seeming to settle down with the whole situation. They still hadn't heard anything about her past, though, and Kurama said that he had theories, but none of them fit the pieces of the puzzle together quite right.

When Yukina entered the room, Chijou was already sitting up on her futon, feet tucked beneath her and hands folded in her lap properly, as she had been taught by the koorime.

"Oh, you don't have to sit like that for so long, Chijou!" Yukina hurried over, kneeling before the other girl and looking over her legs with worry. "You'll lose circulation if you sit like that for too long. How long have you been up?"

"Polite," replied Chijou, wiggling her legs out from under her and moving so that her feet were free.

Yukina sighed, smiling slightly and then motioning for Kuwabara to come in. He obliged and sat next to her, legs crossed. Putting the tray in front of him he said, "We brought you something new this morning!"

Shifting her attention from Yukina, Chijou looked over to Kuwabara, sniffing at the air a bit. Her eyes slid down to the food, though Kuwabara was sure she couldn't see what it actually was.

Taking his chance again, Kuwabara lifted the bowl of fresh berries and leaned forward to touch it to Chijou's arm. She brought her hand up and took the bowl slowly, guiding it to her nose to sniff at it once more. Kuwabara watched as she plucked a berry from the bowl and plopped it on her tongue, and he leaned forward as she chewed to see her reaction.

Her eyes widened slightly and she brought the hand that had plucked the berry, putting it on the other side of the bowl and holding it like a precious item that was given to her by the gods.

"New?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the bowl in her hands.

"Yeah, they're raspberries!" Kuwabara replied, his smile widening. "Do you like them?"

Chijou bowed her head slightly, taking in a deep breath. Both Yukina and Kuwabara watched as she began to eat the berries once more, seeming to savor each one of them.

"You must really like them, you never eat this slow!"

Chijou halted her movements at Kuwabara's exclamation, her head snapping up sharply in his directly. He flinched at her movements, not liking the glare she was now throwing his way.

She looked at him for a few seconds before she looked back down at the bowl, muttering, "Special meal, idiot."

Sputtering for a response, Kuwabara bellowed, "Did you learn that from Urameshi?!"

* * *

Hello! Happy Friday! I'm trying to show a slight progression of relationships between everyone and Chijou, and I think that next chapter will possibly be the other week of moments, or after the fact, or whatever I think of I guess! I know where I wanna take this for sure but when it comes to putting those ideas into practice and writing it proves a little more difficult!

Anyway, I tried to do these from the perspectives of a few of the team members, mainly Kuwabara, as I think he and Chijou are going to have a special relationship since he is basically the one who cut her from the ground. Not like a ROMANCE but you know, just a close relationship. She and Yukina already are pretty close, and I like the intimacy of bathing together as a way to bring them closer. Chijou is starting to pick up mannerisms and words from others, though! Her speech is still stilted and everyone will find out why when her past is revealed!

Thanks for reading! look forward to another update next Friday, hopefully! :)


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